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Download the Free Calisthenics Workout Plan For Beginners
Don’t feel like reading the whole blog but just want to get started? No problem. Download the calisthenics workout routine below and start your calisthenics workouts.
Why a calisthenics workout program?
Many athletes, especially beginners, approach calisthenics without a plan. They go to the gym or to a calisthenics park and decide what to do on the spot.
Maybe this works for you. There are people who can train intuitively excellently. But unfortunately, this only applies to a very select few. For most of us, it leads to little progress and injuries.
That’s why it’s important to exercise based on a structure calisthenics beginner routine.
What is a calisthenics workout plan?
A training program is a written plan that incorporates the following points:
- Number of training sessions per week
- The days on which you train
- Which exercises you do on each day
- Number of sets per exercise
- Number of reps per set
- Rest intervals between sets
A training program can look very different in various ways. Some use a paper program, while others prefer an app. What’s crucial is that it is documented, not just in your mind. This way, you can consistently track your progress.
Definition of "calisthenics beginner"
If you’ve been training for a while and have made progress with your calisthenics workouts, you might be wondering, am I still a beginner? And is it worth training with a beginner’s program?
These are good questions! Because generally, people tend to think they are no longer beginners in practicing calisthenics quite quickly.
However, in practice, if you’re not already using a program, you probably still fall under the beginner category.
We consider someone a calisthenics beginner as long as they can make progress in every workout.
On average, it takes about six months to a year of structured training before you’re no longer a beginner. For this, it’s important to track every workout and apply progressive overload.
Types of workout plans within calisthenics
To categorize exercises, there are various types of workout splits. Such a split is the distribution of different types of exercises across different days, based on the type of exercises (push, pull etc.) or training type (cardio or strength).
There are countless ways to organize your workouts, but the most commonly used ones are outlined below:
- Full-body → You train your entire body in each workout.
- Upper/Lower body → You split your training into upper and lower body days.
- Push/Pull/Legs → Based on the aforementioned push and pull exercises.
- Bent/Straight arm → Also known as dynamic and static exercises. This split is more common among advanced athletes
Best Calisthenics Workout Plan For Beginners
Of course, the best split depends on your goals and available time. But generally, there’s one split that works best for beginners in calisthenics. Namely: a full-body calisthenics workout program.
BENEFITS OF A FULL-BODY CALISTHENICS program
- Each muscle group is trained multiple times per week.
- Less time-intensive, as with a full-body program, you train 2 to 3 times per week.
Download workout program
In the rest of the text, there are references to the calisthenics program that you can download above. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, I highly recommend doing so.
What does the program look like?
The calisthenics workout program is divided into 4 parts, namely the warm-up, handstand technique, strength training, and isolation exercises.
Warming-up
That a proper warm-up is crucial probably doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s essential to prevent injuries and prepare your body adequately for the upcoming workout—making it an integral part that you shouldn’t neglect.
Initiate the warm-up with cardio exercises to stimulate blood flow.
Select a few exercises that you enjoy doing; jump rope, burpees, and jumping jacks are excellent examples.
Beyond raising your body temperature, the warm-up serves to prime your joints. In calisthenics, your wrists and shoulders bear a significant load during exercises, making them susceptible to injuries.
Wrist and shoulder injuries are, in fact, the most common among calisthenics practitioners. Hence, it’s crucial to thoroughly loosen and warm up these areas before diving into your workout. Rotate your shoulders and wrists in all directions, ensuring a full range of motion. Check out the video below for more inspiration
Technique Training
Following the warm-up, the next step is handstand technique training. It’s best to practice this before diving into strength exercises, ensuring your body is still fresh. Allocate approximately 10-15 minutes to this segment.
If you’re unsure about how to commence handstand training, refer to our beginner’s handstand blog, providing detailed instructions on mastering the handstand.
Strength Training Calisthenics workout plan
Now it’s time for the heavy lifting, namely the strength exercises. Take your time with this part. Ensure you have at least 30 minutes for the strength segment of your workout.
In the training program, you’ll notice that there are 5 exercises included here. These are the 5 key calisthenics beginner exercises.
To maintain balance, it’s crucial to train both push and pull movements. In the calisthenics workout program, you’ll find 4 upper body exercises included, each representing a horizontal or vertical push/pull movement. By training these exercises, you lay the foundation for all advanced calisthenics movements.
Isolation / Flexibility
Isolation exercises are necessary to strengthen the weak points in your body. For many calisthenics athletes, these weak points include the forearms, biceps, abdominal muscles, and front shoulders.
These muscles are crucial for many advanced calisthenics exercises. Therefore, it’s wise to incorporate them into your workout.
As a conclusion to your workout, stretching is beneficial. The program focuses on side splits and hamstrings stretching. These stretches will greatly assist you in later stages when performing presses and straddle exercises.
Get stronger with this workout routine
You’ve probably encountered them—people who have been going to the gym for years, performing the same workout week after week without making any progress.
Certainly not what you want. Exercising is enjoyable, but you also want to see improvements in your muscle strength.
To make progress, it’s essential to implement progressive overload.
Simply put, this means making each workout a bit more challenging than the previous one. This gradual increase in demand allows your body to adapt, making you progressively stronger.
An example of progressive overload is adding more reps to your workout. You can see this in the example below.
Types of Progressive Overload in Calisthenics
In addition to increasing reps, there are several ways to apply progressive overload. You can increase sets, add more weight, or work with more advanced progressions of the same exercise.
The program indicates rep ranges, for example, 4 – 6 for pull-ups. Your goal here is to complete all 4 sets of the exercise with 6 reps.
As a beginner, start with an assisted pull-up, using a resistance band to make the exercise lighter.
Choose a resistance band that allows you to perform 4 sets of 4 reps.
In the next workout, aim for 4 sets of 5 reps. And in the subsequent one, target 4 sets of 6 reps.
Once you can complete the full set, you can increase the intensity by using a lighter resistance band.
Continue this process until you no longer need a resistance band.
Adding Weight
When you’ve mastered the bodyweight variations, you can choose to add weight to exercises like pull-ups. This can be easily done with calisthenics equipment like a weighted vest or a dipping belt.
When doing this, simply stick to the same 4 – 6 rep range. Add extra weight once you can complete the full sets with 6 reps.
Calisthenics workout at home
To be able to perform the program, a few things are essential. If you’re training at the gym or in the park, you may need to consider these factors less. However, if you prefer working out at home, you should at least have the ability to perform pull-ups and dips.
If you have the option to hang rings, you can use them for pull-ups, dips, and rows. If you opt for a pull-up bar, you’ll also need something for your dips.
For beginners, resistance bands are also crucial. They provide significant assistance with your initial pull-ups. To get you started, here are the key products listed below.
Important calisthenics tip
Training according to a calisthenics workout routine will greatly aid your progress. However, it’s crucial to understand that progress takes time.
With this beginner’s program, you’ll gradually become stronger. It’s important to start slowly and not train more often than indicated, as the risk of injuries is significant. When it comes to injuries, prevention is always better than cure.
Enjoy your training and progress, knowing that anything worthwhile takes time.
